#yixing mafia au

[jongbross]

(hi ! 🥺 sorry for the bad english) you can do an exo!mafia au reaction, where they are mobsters and bump into their ex after they broke up because she found out he is mafia. they still love each other and want to be together, they are suffering apart? please💞 thanks, have a good day!

a/n: your english is just fine! my first language isn't english either, so don't worry. i hope you like it 🥺

xiumin: minseok is good at hiding his feelings, he did it all this time. he was a mess after you left, but you don't need to know that so he would probably try to play it cool, talking with you but never, ever showing what he's truly feeling. that's until you ask him "have you been okay?" - then his eyes will give in the truth. that's when he'll stutter to answer you, only confirming your suspicious. to someone who has been okay, minseok definitely agrees way too quickly to meet you someday so you two can talk...

suho: he's mature, that's for sure. no matter how shattered he was when you two broke up, he respected your decision and your space. still, junmyeon hurted a lot, so when he meets you again i think he will definitely try to come up at you and ask if you wanna talk to him, if it's okay for him to approach you (because deep down he's scared you'll reject him again). little did he know that you're suffering just like (or even more) than him.

lay: mobster or not, yixing is a softie. he will never admit it, but he cried after you left. when you two meet again, his eyes get glassy with tears the moment he lies his eyes on you, feeling like you were so close but so far away at the same time. the first move will have to come from you, so don't be afraid to approach him - he will love that. yixing doesn't think he deserves to be with the one he loves, especially after you left him for such a good reason, so he doesn't fight for you because of that. please bear with him, he misses you a lot but he just wants you to be happy with whatever you decide it's good for you.

baekhyun: the first thing he felt when you left him wasn't heartbreak, but anger; maybe at himself, at you, at life... but it was there. so, because of that, baekhyun is so petty once you two meet again. he's the one to come talk to you, but he's also the one who will sarcastically say "well, you're the one who left me...", only because deep down that's still a question for him. baekhyun wants to know that you suffered just as much as he did, because after all, the breakup was all on you, he never wanted that.

chen: another one who would be ANGRY. yes, he didn't tell you he was a mobster - that's not something you just tell people, you know? but he never put you in danger, he never brought work home, and you always claimed you loved him? how could you leave him so easily, then? so yeah, once you two meet up again, be ready to deal with the most stubborn version of jongdae you've ever met. he might be feeling like he can't live, can't breathe without you - but he he will never, ever admit that to you.

chanyeol: poor chanyeol couldn't focus on his work for weeks after you left him. he might be the only one from all of them to actually consider leaving the business just so he could be with you. when you two meet again, chanyeol will make it very clear how much you hurted him, how messed up you left him, but will also let you know that he absolutely understands you and why you don't agree with his line of work. he'd be the easiest to talk to and make up, though.

d.o: honestly? it's almost like he's heartless. kyungsoo loves you a lot, he always said he does, but the moment you questioned him about the mafia you planted a seed on his brain - "if they can't love me for who i am, then maybe they don't love me at all". of course, he felt bad and lost when you left, but he's also very logical and rational. so when you two meet again, you can cry all you want in front of him - it doesn't matter how much it hurts him -, the question will still be the same: can you accept him and his job? it all depends on your answer.

kai: oh, he's stubborn. he's very stubborn. his hyungs will tell him that it's okay if he's sad after you left him, but jongin will always deny it. he pretends like he doesn't care, but that crumbles the moment he meets you again - and it gets worse when you tell him you missed him. jongin is as needy as he's stubborn, so that's all he needs to hear to finally come through with his feelings and, then, ask you to come back because he's dying without you.

sehun: you have no idea how bad you've made sehun feel when you left him. sehun spent weeks thinking about how he can't have anything good in his life, but how he also can't leave his business now because he's way too far gone. when you two meet again, more than wanting to have you back, sehun puts effort into understanding if you're fine with his line of work, and making it clear that he loves you so much and wants to spend the rest of his life with you, and he will do everything in his power for this to happen.

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA'S LULLABY / the reboot

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI).

Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language, Mature content.

Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina)

meet the characters

A/N: aaaaaand we're back! it's been a while. motivated by this exo comeback and a rewatch of the show that originally inspired this, I've decided to bring this blog back to life. This is a rewrite of a story i posted here a few years back. new scenes, flashbacks, plot improvements and easter eggs for part two are being added. (yes that is still in the works because this was always meant to be Part One of a series, including a bts centered prequel )

So, here it is:

If there’s one thing tenacious investigative journalist Jung Jiah knows about this city, is that trust is scarce and truth is a commodity. Forced to face a haunting past and reunited with the men she once considered family, instinct tells her to run and hide.

But when she finds that her childhood friends might be hiding the key to the one story she could never solve, she’s thrust into a web of complex relationships and blurred lines between guilt, trust, and betrayal. The quest for the truth takes center stage, and it reveals a world where neon lights cast long shadows, and nothing is as it seems.

CHAPTER 1: NIGHTCALL (OUT NOW)

CHAPTER 2: AFTERHOURS (OUT NOW)

[marvelous-llama]

EXO recs

<<original book

most of the mentioned works is 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI

pls don´t hesitate to hmu, if any of mentioned links doesn´t work or you have suggestions for more fics... thank you so much for all the love and comments

one shots

roommates by @cxsmicmyeon

Junmyeon x fem!reader x Yixing (wc - 2.4k) roommate AU - smut You get caught moaning out both of your gorgeous new roommates’ names and they decide to allow you to live out your wildest fantasy with them.

handsome stranger by @eomayas

Junmyeon x fem!reader (wc - 1.1k) meet cute - fluff your car battery dies and a handsome stranger helps your jump it. he’s so hot and you can’t mess up this opportunity so you shoot your shot

series

No Way Out by @bvidzsoo

Junmyeon x fem!reader mafia AU - smut, violence, fluff, angst You are the daughter of the biggest mafia in South Korea. Even though you and your sister promised to expand your fathers empire, you choose to live a normal life as well. So you became a detective and a single mom. What happens when you’re assigned to a very special case, to one of the most powerful gangs, that being EXO.

[iridescentxstars]

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐊𝐞𝐲: [M] — Mature content/warnings | 🌹 — NSFW | ✨ — Rewritten | 🌸 — Recommended

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲. 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞.

This masterlist contains all my drabbles. There may be some archived drabbles for various reasons and they can be found here. All drabbles are placed under their main AU [eg. mafia, werewolf, etc.] and sorted in chronological order.

ೃ⁀➷ Kim Jongin | BangChan | On-Going Series | Completed Series | Drabbles | Misc | Archived Drabbles

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧/𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

[ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧 [ ✧.* ] Minseok: 🐱 [ ✧.* ] Taemin: 🌱

ੈ✩‧₊ 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬/𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜

[ ✧.* ] Baekhyun: 🐶 - 🐶 - 🐶 - 🐶 - 🐶 - 🐶 [ ✧.* ] Chanyeol: 🐯 - 🐯 - 🐯 - 🐯 - 🐯 [ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Junmyeon: 🐰 - 🐰 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧 - 🐧 [ ✧.* ] Minseok: 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 [ ✧.* ] Sehun: 🐩 - 🐩 - 🐩 - 🐩 - 🐩 - 🐩 - 🐩 [ ✧.* ] Sunmi: 🧜🏼‍♀️ [ ✧.* ] Taeyong: 🪼 [ ✧.* ] Ten: 🐬 [ ✧.* ] Yixing: 🐑 - 🐑

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥/𝐆𝐨𝐝

[ ✧.* ] Baekhyun: 🐶 [ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Taemin: 🌱 [ ✧.* ] Yixing: 🐑

ੈ✩‧₊ 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫/𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚/𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝/𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟

[ ✧.* ] Chanyeol: 🐯 - 🐯 [ ✧.* ] Junmyeon: 🐰 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧 - 🐧

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝/𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜

[ ✧.* ] Bangchan: 🐺 [ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐁𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐫/𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭

[ ✧.* ] Chanyeol: 🐯 [ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Minseok: 🐱

[Drabbles Part Two][Drabbles Part Three][Drabbles Part Four][Drabbles Part Five][Drabbles Part Six][Drabbles Part Seven] (93)

[yourdreamsyourwish-2]

Reactions Masterlist

Rules for Request's: I only work in AU Settings. I hold the right to refuse to do a prompt if I feel like I can not perform it to the best of abilities.

Means Requested 🌟

EXO

Angst

#12: Password is related to their Ex (Baekhyun, Jongin, Minseok, & Yixing)

#21: "Please tell me why." [Jongdae, Kyungsoo, & Minseok]

#22: "You made a Promise" [Baekhyun, Jongin, & Yixing]

#26: Tears 🌟 [Baekhyun, Junmyeon, Sehun, Yixing]

Best Friends to Lovers (Trope)

#1: Being ready to drop everything to go help them no matter what. [Baekhyun, Jongin, & Yixing]

#2: Bets on Your Relationship [Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, Sehun]

#3:  Platonic love proclamations, until they're not. [Jongdae & Minseok]

#11: After Kiss [Jongdae, Junmyeon, & Sehun]

Best Friends Brother/Brothers Best Friend (Trope)

#15: Hesitantly tugging the other’s fabric of their shirt or sleeve [Chanyeol, Jongin, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, & Minseok]

#16: "Dance with Me" [Baekhyun, Jongdae, Sehun, & Yixing]

#23: First Kiss I [Jongdae, Jongin, Sehun, & Yixing]

#24: First Kiss II [Junmyeon, & Minseok]

#25: First Kiss III [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, & Kyungsoo]

#44: New Years Eve I [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Minseok, Sehun]

#45: New Years Eve II [Jongdae, Jongin, Kyungsoo, Yixing]

Enemies to Lovers (Trope)

#17: “A date? Sorry but I have to go home and laugh at the idea.” [Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Minseok ,& Yixing]

Reaction #27:  “Can you walk?” [Junmyeon, Minseok, Sehun]

Reaction #28: "You're Bleeding." [Chanyeol, Jongin, Jongdae]

Reaction #29: “Just trust me, yeah?” [Baekhyun Kyungsoo, Yixing]

Reaction #33: “If You tell anyone about this, I will become an even worse enemy.” [Junmyeon, Yixing]

Reaction #34: “I don’t like you, I just find you hot.” [Baekhyun, Chanyeol. Kyungsoo, Minseok, Sehun]

Reaction #35: “We're not telling anyone about this. This would be the end for both of us.” [Jongin, Jongdae]

Fluff/Comfort

#4: Stealing Each Other’s Clothes and Not admitting it - While Wearing them [Kyungsoo & Sehun]

#5: "Come on. Let's go Home" [Chanyeol, Jongin, Yixing]

#6: Holding Hands Without Realizing [Baekhyun, Jongdae, Junmyeon & Minseok]

#10: "Here's an idea; Let's not read the dead language!" [Chanyeol & Kyungsoo]

#13: “You think I didn’t notice the voice change? You totally like them.” [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongin, Minseok,& Yixing]

#14:“You stayed up…All night..for them. Oh dude you’re in love.” [Jongdae, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, & Sehun]

#19: “You got shot. There’s a bullet in you. I can see it.”  “I can feel it.” [Baekhyun & Jongdae ]

Reaction #30: “I haven’t been able to sleep well for three days.” [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongin, Sehun]

Reaction #31: “Let’s get you to the couch.  There we go.” [Jongdae, Kyungsoo]

Reaction #32: “Can you please just…hold me?” [Junmyeon, Minseok, Yixing]

Reaction #41: "Washing their Hair" [Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Minseok]

Reaction #49: “Being playfully clingy in the mornings when one has an off day and the other has to rush to work” [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Sehun]

Reaction #50:  “Sleepy back hugs when the other person is busy” [Jongin, Junmyeon, Minseok, Yixing]

Grumpy x Sunshine (Trope)

#7: "Are You really Happy/Grumpy 24/7” [Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Jongin, Sehun]

#8: “Everyone Should Dance in the Rain at least once in their lives.” [Minseok & Yixing]

#9:“You’re definitely the only person I would do this for” [Junmyeon & Kyungsoo]

Reaction #38: “how did you get them to do that, they never listen to anyone” [Jongdae, Jongin, Junmyeon, Sehun]

Reaction #39:  “I need you to teach me how to be...sociable” “you mean nice?” [Chanyeol, Minseok] 

Reaction #40: Being Flirted with by someone Else [Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Yixing]

Mafia AU (Trope)

Reaction#36: “Touch Her, and you’re dead.” [Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Minseok, Sehun]

Reaction #37:  “They’ll have to go through me before they get to you." [Baekhyun, Jongdae, Jongin, Kyungsoo, Yixing]

Reaction #46: “You’re my Achilles heel, they will do whatever it takes to get to you.” [Baekhyun, Minseok, Yixing]

Reaction #47:  “For Once, I’m not the bad guy here.” [Chanyeol, Jongdae, Sehun]

Reaction #48: "Close your eyes, you don’t need to see this.” [Jongin, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo]

Mythical/Fantasy

#18: Vampires I [Kyungsoo, Jongin, & Sehun]

#20: Vampires II [Chanyeol, Junmyeon, & Sehun]

Roommates [Trope]

Reaction #42: Roommates #1 [Baekhyun, Jongin, Yixing]

Reaction #43: Roommates #2 [Chanyeol, Junmyeon, Sehun]

Masterlist

[cloudycrystalkpop]

#3 and #5 with Exo Lay for the drabble game please

wanna play?

bang bang bang

she ran down the hallways, trying to find the source of the gunshots. they had been invaded by rebels. maybe she had a death wish, but she’d be damned if she was just going to let those rebels take over.

she ran into the room where most of the gun shots had come from. guards littered the walls, unconscious. she looked around, trying to find the source of what had taken them out, when she felt the barrel of a gun being placed to the back of her head.

“hands up.” the voice was masculine. she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the small handgun.

without stopping to think too much she walked around and tried to fire her gun at the rebel, but he reacted with lightning speed, disarming her.

she glared at him as he now held two guns to her forehead.

“you’ve got some fight in you don’t you.” he smiled at her.

“do it.” she growled. he shook his head and lowered his guns.

“we could use people like you, how would you like to join us?” he invited.

“there’s no way in hell i’d ever join you.” she challenged. he raised a brow.

“and why is that?” he inquired.

“i value my freedom to highly to hand over my life to your gang.” she snarled. he chuckled.

“you say you value your freedom, yet everyday you hand it over to the corrupt. we may be heathens, but we live outside of their domain. they can’t control us. is that not freedom?” he smirked as he saw her rethinking her own words.

“…what do you mean?” she questioned.

“i mean we not only want to maintain our freedom from them, but also free others. i’m not asking you to join the mafia or a cult, i’m asking your to fight, not only for your own freedom, but the chance for others to chose their own freedom as well.” he answered. he gave her a grin and held out his hand to her. “now, what do you say?”

“i changed my mind. i’m so fucking down to overthrow the government.” she took his hand and he laughed, handing her back her handgun.

“i think you and i will get along just fine.”

[shesdreamingofamonster]

His Queen (Epilogue)

Word Count: 940

Genre: Action, Romance, Mafia AU

Ship: Reader x Yixing/Lay

Summary: Revelations come when danger has passed.

I II III IV V VI VII VIII

He was still asleep, his chest rising and falling with every breath. Your hand traced his bare chest, going over his scar that just barely poked out of the sheets. The scar that almost took him from you. It had been some time since then. You had both healed from the injuries you sustained, his taking much longer. But eventually, things went back to normal. Or whatever you could call normal in a life like this. Then you looked up, you took in the sight of his face. The way his eyelashes seemed to glimmer in the light from the window. His face was serene, the childlike innocence that sleep brings to everyone washing over it. His lips slightly parted. You could look at him like this forever. Looking at him like this could make you forget the path he chose in life, the path that you now follow as well. Suddenly his hand grazed yours as his eyes fluttered open. He turned his head to smile at you. You were lying on your chest, the sheet covering most of your naked body, only leaving your back exposed. He turned on his side to face you, the movement causing him no pain now. “You have no idea how beautiful you look my love.” You rolled your eyes causing him to giggle. He pulled you on top of him, a gleam in his eyes. But you knew all too well that even if he may like to look like a tough guy, he enjoyed lying with you in the mornings just to enjoy your company. You nuzzled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.

A half an hour passed as you both conversed quietly. Suddenly he became very silent. The mood had changed. “Y/N?” His voice had a slight hint of nerves in it. You looked up and met his eyes, “Yixing?” “I have a bit of a proclamation for you, and you have every right to say no.” You scrunched your nose confused at the state he was in, but you didn’t say anything, just nodded. “I told you how hard this life of mine was, yet you decided to stay. You saw the darkest things that it involves, still you decided to stay. You left the life that you used to know, to be with me. You lie to your family on the rare times that you do see them. After everything that you have been through, that we have been through, I thought that you should be with me completely. I don’t need an answer until you are positive. Y/N, you have proven that someone like me can in fact find a love worth dying and living for.” He took your hands into his own, looking down at you with complete sincerity. “I love you, and I was wondering if you would give me the chance to not just be your boyfriend, but your protector and companion for life.” He reached for the drawer on his side table. Within it was a small red box. You knew exactly what was happening. He opened it and set it on the table before taking your hand in his again. “Would you do me the honor of being your husband?” You knew that Yixing loved you, and that you loved him. But he never spoke of marriage. You thought that he had an underlying hope that you would leave him for a better, safer life. And now that you knew that he wanted you, always and forever, you couldn’t be happier to respond. “Yixing, I would love nothing more than to marry you.” He smiled and brought his hand up to your cheek before kissing you. This event that you never thought you would be able to celebrate. 

When you both pulled away, he gently slid the ring onto your finger. Atop the silver band sat a medium sized diamond with two small blue gems on either side. You recognized them, they were the same gems on the ring that Yixing always wore himself. He knew that you weren’t into materialistic things, so this ring could have been anything and you would have loved it. You loved staring at your ring, not only did it represent that you were his, but it also had a small piece of him with it. “What do you think?” He was staring at you adoringly. “It is perfect, just like you.” You leaned in and pressed your lips against his again. After laying in bed a little longer he looked at the clock and sighed, “I suppose we should tell the boys.” You laughed at his ‘enthusiasm.’ “It is only right.” You both laughed again before another thought crossed your mind. “Yixing, there is something we have to do. If I am to marry you, I have one condition.” His eyes widened, not knowing what you could possibly be speaking of. “We have to tell my family. Not just that we are getting married, but that you aren’t exactly an office worker.” He nodded and took your hands in his again. “If that is what you wish, then we will. But you know the danger that entails.” You knew. But you also knew that you couldn’t lie to them for the rest of your life. “I know. And they will be okay. We will be okay.” He smiled as the sound of some brotherly quarreling made its way into the room. “I guess that is our que.” You both sat up to get ready for the day. 

After all, you had the rest of your lives to be with each other now.  

Thank you all for reading this story. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. <3

Masterlist

[kpoptrashlord-007]

♡ Main Masterlist || Rules || Current Requests || Prompts Lists || Main Account ♡

[EXO] Most Recent

Undressing || Kyungsoo x Reader || Suggestive Fluff (1.5k) Exaltation || Baekhyun x Reader || Pretty Much Smut (1.7k)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ = Popular 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ = Recommended 

Sledding || Baekhyun x Reader || Fluff (.7k)

Burning Desire || Yan!Baekhyun x Reader || Suggestive (.6k)

Mean Tweets || Sehun x Reader || Fluff (.7k)

Extended Stay, pt.1 || Mafia!Kris x F!Reader || [Zombie AU] (5.2k)

Extended Stay, pt.2 || Mafia!Kris x F!Reader || Smut (5.2k)

Tricks and Traps || Mer!Junmyeon x Reader || Suggestive (3.8k)

Curation || Junmyeon x OC || Fluff [Her Private Life AU] (3.3k)

a Flavour of Intimacy || Baekhyun x Reader || Fluff! (1.3k)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Deal With The Devil || Mafia!Baek x F!Reader || Smut (6.1k)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Exaltation || Baek x F!Reader || Pretty Much Smut (1.7k)

Bait || Mafia!Kyungsoo x Fem!Reader (1.3k)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷Undressing || D.O x Fem!Reader || Suggestive Fluff (1.5k)

Decorations || Sehun x Reader || Fluff [w/ Toben && Vivi] (1.1k)

coming soon!

~♡~

If you enjoyed this, please consider liking, reblogging, and/or following! Thanks!

[atiny-exol]

Mafia!X-EXO; reaction to playing poker with you

Genre: fluff (some of them),comedy (some of them) +18 (some of them)

Warnings:strong language, cursing, sexual tension

A/N: thank you for your lovely request anon. I hope you don't mind me switching Exo to X-Exo, I just think they suit the mafia theme more. I also included Kyungsoo, Yixing and Minseok even they do not have an official x-exo personality. I also excluded chen, for obvious reasons.

Suhø

He is the one who taught you how to play poker in the first place, because you both didn't really like to just sit down and watch some movies or other normal dating stuff.

So he showed you how to play poker, you both loved to play against each other, even if you would always lose against your boyfriend. One of the other boys would volunteer to be the dealer, because they think it is interesting to watch you play. Both of you just such an intimidating presence while playing.

Suhø also told you that playing poker is one of the best ways to learn how to control your facial expressions and how to read others.

That's the reason he learned it in the first place and he wants you to understand that as well.

It would be useful not only for him but also for you

"You have a good hand, am I right babydoll?" Your figure stiffens as you look down on your cards, a soft smile appearing on your face, slowly looking up, in the eyes of your red haired boyfriend. "Is it that obvious?" You asked. "I can read you like a book babydoll. Even after months I can. I'm out." He claimed and just as he said that a smirk appeared on your face, laying your cards down on the desk, showing him your horrible cards. "You can read me like a book? Say that again old man."

Xiūmin

Doesn't like playing poker, but the others would always beat him to play with him.

He wasn't bad or so. No he was quite good, but he just can't stand loosing against the idiots he calls his friends.

They would always drag about everything, every small win they get and Xiūmin hates that.

But one day you just claimed that you would play as a replacement for Xiūmin.

And he found out a very interesting thing, you are just as bad as loosing as himself.

So he needs to teach you how to properly play, you begged him to. You just want to kick their asses, just like himself.

"Sweetheart" his finger clicked on the table again, his eyes piercing their way into your skin, or so it felt like. Yes you wanted him to show you how to play, but who could have thought that he is such a strict teacher. "I-" "you don't have a clue what you should do now, am i right sweetheart?" You didn't sare to look up as you shook your head, but to your surprise you just heard a small laugh from the other side of the table. "Don't worry sweetheart, after I'm done with you. You will definetly know know to do."

Lāy

Just likes to teach you things in general, you want to learn something involving mafia business. Lāy will show you without hesitation.

You know how to shot, you know how to lead a mission, you even learned how to get your boyfriend on his knees, but that's another story.

But there is one thing you can't and that is playing poker, but you want to learn. You always see lāy playing with the other members and you don't want to just sit on his lap and look pretty.

You want to destroy them in this game. And what his kitten want it gets.

Slowly showing you how to play while he plays himself, letting you make the next step for him, letting you decide and correcting you if he thinks something else would be better.

And also you had a very special talent, something your boyfriend taught you years ago

And that's how to read the emotions in the face of a person, even the slightest shift in emotions is seen by you.

That makes you the best for playing poker with him.

You bite down on your lip,looking up into the eyes of Chanyeøl, watching his expression shift slightly. With that small shift in his emotion a victorious smile appeared on your lips and you whispered something in Lāys ear. On his face also a small smile appeared and he leaned closer to your ear before he whispered. "You are such a good kitten, you definetly get a reward for this later."

Dō

Would ask you why you want to learn it, uts not not special and he is not that into playing. He is more into ruling a organisation than sitting somewhere in a casino playing poker.

But even if he is ruthless and cold hearted..he can't say no to your puppy dog eyes

Just be aware that once he started teaching he is very very strict

Not letting slide anything, no small mistake

In the end you wished that you asked someone else instead

"If you can't even tell me the basic rules of this game, how would you be able to play this game? Huh?" Kyungsoo asked while he looked down at you, his eyes staring right at your soul. You gulped hardly and thought in what a situation you brought yourself into this time. "It's just a game!" You said and pouted. "You don't need to be so strict to me." A small chuckle left your husbands' mouth and he placed a hand on your cheek. "But you wanted me to teach you, now don't complain about my methods darling."

Baëkhyun

He taught you how to play for one reason and one reason only.

He likes to win and to play. It's a game he always had fun while playing it. He could use his brain and he would win. Always.

But once the boys didn't want to play with him anymore he choose you as his next victim

Loves to win against you

And he also loves to play strip poker with you.

Because in the end you would be naked and he would be still fully clothes

And we all know this man is greedy and wants to show you who is in charge

Always

"And I won again Kitten." Baëkhyun had a smirk on his face, his eyes were dark and never let you out of his sight, not even for one second. He carefully watched you pulling down the last piece of fabric you had, while turning as red as a tomato, before he got up from his seat and walked around the table. Watching you with his predator like eyes. "You don't have clothes on anymore kitten? That's to bad, now you have to choose something new as your stake."

Chanyeøl

We all know how competitive Chanyeol is, but boy Chanyeøl is even more competitive with you.

He is a cold man, anyone feared him, no one dared to play with Chanyeøl because of the fact that he would start to get scary when he is loosing a game.

But you never cared about that..just because you never saw it

But when you played with him and he lost

Boooooy you never and I mean never were that scared in your life

Because even if he let's you win he will make sure that you will loose twice as hard as himself

"I think",you started with a smile,"I won Chanyeøl" You looked at him, but even with knowing him for so long you couldn't read his expression. That's why you were scared when he suddenly got up and walked over to you. He stopped right in front of you and with a smooth movement he grabbed your chin with his one hand and his other hand is placed on your chair. His eyes directly staring into yours. "That's because I let you win baby." He whispered with his deep raspy voice. "Don't think you stand a chance against me. Now let us play a real round hm. Maybe this time we play with an more interesting stak."

Kāi

Underestimated you. Never thought that you could play like that

He lost and he wasn't even mad about it,because hell you are sexy while you play against him. Your emotionless face,your smirk when you won

All of that just made you more attractive in his eyes.

He always wanted not only the most beautiful partner but also the one who impressed him the most

And you did that

With just one round of poker

"Kāi is everything okay?" You asked, walking around the table and looking at your boyfriend. He didn't react to you and since you won he didn't said a word. Before you could ask more, his arms pulled you down on his lap and his lips found yours, pulling you into a deep kiss. As you broke the kiss hw whispered with a smirk against your lips. "You are just hot baby. Nothing more nothing less"

Sehūn

Doesn't think poker is that interesting but he always had you on his lap while you played with the others

And once in a while he would like to play against you

Just you of course, because while it brought him no joy to play with his hyungs it made fun to play with you

Because you were quite different from his hyungs

He couldn't read you

Is your hand good or bad? Are you bluffing? He doesn't know it. Never

And that's what made him come back to a play of poker with you

He studied your face,he studied it while you played poker against his Hyungs, he studied while you do the smallest things. He knows you, knows your thoughts and what you will do next. So why the hell is he not able to read you right now? Why is he not sure what your next step will be? Why is he not sure what you think right now? "Sehūn? Is everything okay?" You asked with such a sweet smile and he couldn't do anything else else nod with his head. "Sure little one. Don't worry."

[kxmssblog]

6.

Il consulente

Featuring: EXO Ensemble

Your family has worked as the mafia group go-to financial advisors and consultants. When a hit is sent out, by a rogue mafia group, your entire family s wiped out. You are left with only your brother. The EXO take you under their protection, regardless of your protests to want to leave the mafia world behind, along with your troubled memories.

Warning: More blood, Injury.

_____________________________________________

Suho's scolding words stay with you for days, but you were still unable to swipe right, to receive your brother's phone calls. At first, when you had returned, and days after your heated return and exchange, he had been calling excessively for hours at a time. Each call 'missed' or the phone turned off when you were busy with work.

As weeks continued the repeated calls still came, but fewer and far spread, each day. Then recently, you could not make sense of the Wills sent to your office, of your parents, family members and his own updated copy, to let you know of all they have left behind. Of what he intended to leave behind for you.

You will not pretend to act as though Yunho's Will, had not let your stomach drop, but you had no one to share your worries with. Not even Suho or, perhaps Kyungsoo-hyung since they were always out of the house and recently, traveling out the country more frequently. Where to and the length of periods, were never shared with you, although you never asked. Only when you heard their car drive past your window, would you know of their safe return.

Now seated outside, in the central area of the business complex, the office public moved out and about around you. Your coat blazer was stifling in the warm weather compared to the chilling air con in the office.

Minseok was somewhere, but nowhere in your sight. You know, where ever he stood to watch over you, was seething in anger, that you left your building without letting him know. Without his approach, you know he understood that you needed fresh air, although you could have called or shot a text at him for courtesy's sake.

You visibly shrug, with your blank phone, as silent as the past four days. Your brother has not called since then. Apart from Suho's texts checking up on you, Minseok's timely calls at the end of your day to tell you to leave the office, your brother was the only one who called your personal phone.

"What are you up to now, hyung? What is happening Yunho? Have you chosen to ignore me once more, because I have been ignoring you?" A heavy sigh escapes your lips, just as Minseok appears infront of you, with mildly concealed glower, that you spot behind his calm exterior.

"Minseok, I..." you start but you're cut off, with a harsh grab under your arm, stumbling you to your feet.

"Get back to your building and Sehun can keep an eye, so I can clean up, after you." He bit out, close to your ear and shoves you to start moving.

Your confused look is dismissed with his growl, for you to comply without question. That tells you to shut your mouth and do as he says. Your own panic climbs, when you throw your eyes all around you, to spot the danger you know you're in.

You have only returned for a measly four weeks, but you're already in danger of losing your life.

Staggering and nearly stumbling, you throw your eyes ahead, to the building almost a hundred metres ahead of you. However that will be just too much smooth sailing, in your dangerous world. There are busy bodies, nudging and bumping shoulders as the rushing crowd in the complex moves from and to their desired destinations.

A memory flings itself into your consciousness, grinding you to breathless halt. Shock leaves you unseeing and winded in the moving crowd. Tears sting your eyes and your heart aches at the fear in the voices you remember.

"Hyung, why are they attacking? Why are they being killed?" Your horror grows the longer you stand by the window, knuckles turning white on the clutched curtains, while your frame shook and shivered as you watched your family's most valued, trusted and fond men and women drop like flies in the dark gardens. Those people have been in your life, since forever.

"Son, get your sister and do all you can to protect her!" Your father's voice wrenches your eyes from the outside massacre, to a glimpse of your parents rushing up and down the stairs with heaps of files in their arms.

"YN, get back!" It's your brother's commands that pull you back to your rooted spot.

You spot the armed figure standing outside your window, with a gun poised in his hands, directly aimed at you. The gun, uselessly, fitted with a suppressor, when the once quiet night was roaring with gunfire, barked orders and cries of dying men and women.

Who has your family wronged in recent months, for them to stage an attack of this nature?

"Keys... hyung, he betrayed the Kim cla-" your stunned murmurs are hung in the air when your brother's solid, towering frame barrels into you.

You were a road-crossing away from your building. Halted in your stumbling flee for safety, a car makes a dead stop in front of you. You are given no time to understand just what is happening.

A suppressor sticks out of the heavily dimmed out windows, rolled down just enough.

A glance down to your bodyguard's direction, he's too distracted by his own fight to notice where you stood and what exactly stood in front of you.

You feel by your body being, twice, jolted back a step and the immediate burn in your belly and the warm splatters on your chest and neck. You have been struck, as the tires screech away.

Blood... not so much blood, again.

Flung by impact, your body slides on the floor, to come to a halt with your head hitting the marble vase stand, the said vase shattering down on your brother's back. Your head and ears scream, when bullets shatter the glass you had stood in front of seconds ago.

"Not only Keys... He never works alone, sister." Your brother was covering your frame on the floor, his gun knocked out of his hand during the fall.

Next you remember is yourself kneeling on the floor, arms tightly bound to your back and a tickling trickle of blood down your neck.

Lee SooMan and Taemin stood there.

Again, here stands in frint of you, Lee Taemin. Nephew to the notorious Lee SooMan, and heir to the Lee mafia family's wealth and territories. One of your family's oldest clients and somewhat rival, in various aspects of business and shady dealings. The same man you refused to be promised to marry, and probably the reason why your own family was attacked and killed.

No. I fucked up. I was the one in the wrong. I have wronged the Lee family, and now my family was to pay the price. Your whole body trembled, too stunned into silence above your parents' pleas.

"YN... move it!" You hear from the distance.

Your blouse that once caught the gentlest of breeze that day, now clung for dear life over the growing wet spot around your abdomen.

"Ah, there you are... alive... Or barely so, and kicking?" You can't help the frozen stupor, when you look up to the slim frame of the man in front of you.

"Uhm... T- Tae?..."

"Ah..." The man nods with a lazy drawl, completely impervious to the tension and your growing urgency for help, "back to your stutters, little one. With an interesting choice in your new bodyguard... or is it that much of a surprise?" He shrugs.

"He- help... need help..." You try to hunch over into yourself to catch your breaths but the man's hand on your shoulder makes sure that does not happen.

"Uncle had asked politely that you take the family's accounts..." He moves closer, with his mouth close to your ear, his other hand on your wound. A thumb digs in, eliciting a shout of pain and beads of sweat racing down your face. On instinct, your hands clung to the man's arms to keep yourself upright, "but now that I have had to come, personally to make sure that I convince you otherwise... again. You better think wisely this time around YN, about your choice because your Yunho may not be as lucky this time around."

The thumb, digs further into the wound and your shaking hand makes a weak attempt to push the hand away. Biting your trembling lip, you also make a shaky effort to push away to see where Minseok was?

Taemin encircled his arm around your waist and the public are none the wiser of your interaction.

"Look... look over my shoulder, little one." You're  shorter than the man holding you captive on the spot. But you try to look nonetheless around his shoulder. You spot Taemin's childhood best friend and now right-hand man you see. A distant cousin of the Kim hyungs and traitor to the entire Kim clan. "I would hate to send Keys, who only this time, hopes not to make the same mistake to miss his shot again."

"Yu-Yunho..." you stutter.

"No, little one. Right now it about our small walk down memory lane. And I remind you to make the best choice for the sake of your sole remaining family, YN."

Like that, you're pushed away and nearly lose your feet from under you. Right now you're not sure whether your bodyguard knows of your injury, or the other men will know about this already.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" A passing body, nearly collides with you and you murmur your apologies, pulling your blazer tighter around you, your fingers staining the delicate pastel colour.

Your shaking hand pulls out your keycard, entering your building. Security too distracted with the visiting individuals than to look up at the executive personnel entrance you always use to enter the building.

The lifts are too far, when you look down to the dripping blood on the highly polished marble floors.

"Sehun..." You mumble, looking up to try and locate the closest surveillance camera, then turn left in the direction of the door leading to the fire escape  staircase.

"Please see me..." again, your card let's you through without raising the alarm, "F-Find me... Min."

The stairs to the underground parking lot, where your bodyguard always parks, is too far.

Your knees wobble and finally give way to your subconscious swallowing you back into the nothingness, you were familiar companions with.

Your breaths were not only shallow, but they stuttered with lathergy unlike that linked you to your nightmares. This tiredness was directly linked to the one of that night, tinged with a sense of giving into the pain to fully consume you.

"Sehun, where the fuck is she?" You hear your bodyguard's frantic shouts from the other side of the door. Your head screams that he's close, don't close your eyes just yet. Keep fighting, a defiant voice at war with your subconscious, bellows at you.

"So tired..." you mumble stealing a look at the dark blood seeping through your trembling fingers, hearing the door finally click.

It bursts open, with it bringing a small gush of wind, and the hurried footsteps. You hang your head back, and see the gruesome smear of your blood against the wall that you had slid down from. Your eyes droop, near to a shut.

"No! Keep your eyes open! I'm here, stay with me." For the very first time, you hear your bodyguard's composure obliterate in your presence.

You listen to the raw emotions you have come to associate with your own grief and pain.

From the depths of your inner chaos and turmoil, and the pain ringing loud and obnoxious through your body, you hear your bodyguard.

Perhaps the slaps, and harsh shove of your hand to be replaced by a heavy press over you wound, were imagined.

*

Blinking once.

You hear the engine roaring, and frantic shouts and arguing, for the car to be driven faster, or the traffic is in the way. Was that Chen sounding concerned? Oh gods, not Kai hyung. He is the last person you would want to see you like this. He's too precious to see you like that.

Gods, not Kyungsoo hyung too.

There is a heaviness on your belly along with a burning sensation that leaves you gasping in pain.

There is a familiar person straddling your prone position. You're lying on what looks to be the backseat. The jostling car movements, force out moans and shudders of anguish from your barely conscious state.

Blinking twice.

A very tall frame is cradling you, and running up the stairs.

Is it Chanyeol or Sehun?

Gods, I still hope it's not Kai.

The glare irritates your eyes, so you can't see the owner of the voices barking orders to the side of your head.

'I smell too much blood...' this time you're too tired to make a sound of protest at the pain of being moved around.

Okay now I'm tired.

I can't stay.

I really, really can't stay, Minseok.

_____________________________________________

@suhappysuho

[danseurehonte]

“Remember My Name” Mafia Series

Prologue.

Summary: Yixing made the mistake of trusting his team too well, one job that he suspected went well did not and it’s costing him everything five years later.

This is imperative to the main story and cannot be skipped.

Mentions of: Murder, Gore, Blood, Gunshot Wounds, Wedding Massacre.

Words: 1087

His eyes were locked on the screen, the numbers steadily climbing before all the power in the building went off, “Why aren’t the generators cutting on?” He questioned, standing from the office chair as the emergency alarm sounded forcing him back down into his seat to attempt himself to figure out what was going on before his personal phone ringing started ringing. “You have ten minutes to tell me why my system that you built quote on quote oh so tightly is able to be attacked?” He was seething, there was no way someone was able to crack into the system, he trusted his team, he truly did or did he? Was this an inside job? The only people that know this system are those under him, the arms team, the security team, drugs everyone knew the system; they had to know it to pass through certain doors and gates in the hideout but no one knew codes and access other than the security team.

“Sir, I’m working my hardest to get the syst-,” the call was cut abruptly, he didn’t even need to look at his phone to know what happened before he launched it across the room. “Hi Yixing,” the feminine voice spoke absolutely too cheery for his liking. “Look at me,” she spat causing Yixing’s eyes to glare at the computer screen. “You’ll answer every question I ask or I’ll ruin you to the core.” He could hear her typing, the soft clicking of the keys irritating him as all he wanted to know was who she was. “You don’t remember me at all?” She asked tilting her head, green eyes piercing through the screen, “If I did don’t you think I’d have men deployed to your location?” Quietly sighing she was back to typing before his screen was split and those same numbers Yixing was looking at were displayed, “Every time I hear what I don’t want to hear I’ll make you suffer.” That caused Yixing to straighten up, how did she even have access to this information, when did she get it, the only person with the pass-code was him.

“Let me jog your memory wouldn’t want Mr. Pretty boy thinking so hard.” Pictures were uploaded to his screen, the images of what seemed to be a happy family but Yixing eyes zoned in on the man in the background, “Kim Hanjoon.” Her smile spread from ear to ear as he recognized the man, “head of the dragons.” He muttered before realizing that he was looking at a wedding photo> His memory slowly started to jog he’d ordered his men to interrupt the wedding and kill the bride and groom and anyone else they felt like.

“You took everything from me.” She yelled as Yixing’s eyes widened realizing Hanjoon’s widow was the person he was speaking to. “So tell me, why didn’t you check? Why didn’t you show any remorse when the news broke? Why didn’t you check the list of victims? Do you show no remorse for your actions Zhang?” They left a vital survivor, the wife, she survived and is most likely the new head of the dragons but there was no trace of them anywhere, the whole reason he ordered for them both to be killed was that a wife always took her husband place as the head when he died or went to prison.

“Speak!” She exclaimed but all Yixing could think of was there being a vital survivor and how she stayed so quiet for so long. “Fine then.” She disconnected their source of contact and Yixing sat in silence for a mere ten minutes before his office door opened and there she stood, blood covering her white shirt as she stared at him. She’d been in the building the entire time, he knew he recognized the background, she was in the security room, the call cut earlier because she killed her way in. With the new-found knowledge Yixing’s hand slowly reached under the desk, “I wouldn’t do that if I did this whole building blows.” She cooed pulling open her shirt to showcase the machine wrapping around her chest, “Is this a suicide mission?” He asked slowly moving his hands away from under his desk where his emergency weapon was placed. “Excuse me?” She questioned pointing the gun at Yixing, “You took everything away from me, everything and you dare ask me if this is a suicide mission.” Her eyes were filled with tears and the only thing Yixing could do to survive was played with her already sensitive emotions.

“Listen- I don’t need to fucking listen to you Zhang, you took my love from me so I’ll take everything from you and if you dare even THINK to retaliate I will take you myself and I’ll make you lick the ground I walk on, every single step behind me. Do you understand?” She spat cocking the gun back, stepping closer to him as she awaited an answer but before his lips could form one a gunshot sounded through the room, he couldn’t even react to the initial shot as he watches in horror as the blood poured from his side, “If you live to see me, you better start answering me faster.” She chuckled walking towards him, pushing the chair with a now blood-soaked Yixing aside, “What’s the password to the vault?” She asked looking at him before pointing the gun once again, “you already know it, why ask?” He gasped for air after each word, leaning his head back as consciousness was simply a game for him at this point, either he would win or he would lose.

She chuckled, nails clicking against the keys before deleting the secondary folder titled ‘The Dragons’, “You know nothing of my family and if I dare see you near my house I will make you my personal lap dog.” Her eyes screamed revenge as she looked at Yixing bleed out she spoke, “Marie Kim, remember my name.” She didn’t even bother to stay to see his reaction, she was out the door and within five minutes the power in the building was restored and doors were unlocked, people rushed into Yixing within an instant. “Sir, Sir, stay with me.” All his mind could focus on was how she entered unnoticed and how she left unnoticed, how did she get in and how did she leave so quickly the gates would have alerted him and the doors would have too.

“He’s falling forward, alert the medic now.”

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA’S LULLABY | CHAPTER 3

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI). Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina) - Kim Minseok/Original Female Character - Zhang Yixing/Original Female Character Word count: 7k+ chapter summary: the rain pours relentlessly, but a different storm is just starting. Jiah meets Jongin at a birthday party, it's all harmless fun and magnetic sparks until it isn't, and he calls her the wrong name.

masterlist meet the characters

You wanna disappear in a crowd Just a stranger in a room Wanna change your colors just for the night With no word of it following you home

081222 - 5:43 pm

Things are quiet.

The story is still at the center of the news and online discussions. People have dissected every detail of Lee Chungjae's life to the point that he took down all his posts. In every sense of the word, he's the country's most hated man.

And candidate Lee's reassuring smile when reporters bring up the subject has started to crack.

But nothing else happens.

She's on edge. Let the storm hit already, for fuck's sake. 

Yixing finds her restlessness hilarious and texts her a screenshot of the weather app this morning. 90% chance of rain for the next three days.

It looks like Kuraokami answered your prayers.

In the midst of it all, he's been refusing to blend to the background of her mind, exploiting the fact that she's weak when it comes to a good meal. Most days he shows up to her door with takeout, and just yesterday he came with ingredients and made her eat her words about carbonara being the most overrated approach to noodle based recipes.

He’d laugh at her if he could see her now, standing outside the chronicle's building, struggling to get her buzzing phone from the inside of her bag.

A part of her hopes it's the blocked number from before.

But there's a name on the screen, and it puts a frown on her face.

“What do you want.” 

A chuckle spills through the line. “Resentment is a terrible thing, you know? It does the heart no good.”

“How would you know? You don't have one."

“I heard you paid someone a visit last night. I wanted to hear it from you.”

She scoffs up at the sky through her see-through umbrella.

"You want me to say I’m... what? Shaking in my boots? So you can rub one out to the sound of it?”

“Language, sunshine. Let’s keep things civil.”

“I tried to be civil, didn’t I? I even gave you a heads-up for old times’ sake, but then you decided to make things personal. So now I’m thinking that next time, I'll just let it blow in your face, make it surprise.” 

“Ah, there we go again with that. Why do you insist on calling it personal?”

“Why don’t you suck my dick, Namjoon?”

She hates that she can hear his poisonous smile, over so confident and collected.

“You walked into that room yourself. How is it fair to blame me for the consequences of your actions?”

He enjoyed it, he’s enjoying it even now, she knows. He denied any involvement in her encounter with a certain pair of recently debuted syndicate members, but hist hands were all over that stunt.

A blow like that, the same night she showed up to let him know she had info on his candidate’s son, and he expects her to believe destiny is just funny like that.

No fucking way.

Things may or may not have escalated to shattered wine glass and a deep burgundy stain on Jin's favorite artwork hanging on the wall.

“Can you get to the point? Some of us can’t afford to spend the day scheming, I have things to do.” she says, impatience seeping into her tone.

It's starting to rain, so her hair will start looking crazy in about three minutes.

“I was hoping you were bluffing.”

She laughs in a way that makes an older woman give her a nasty look.

“My hopes weren’t for us.”

Ah.

There it is. As grim as it is, it’s like a weight taken off her chest.

Her surroundings come back into focus. The narrow street. The stream of people walking past her, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible. A girl brushing her shoulder, recording herself speaking in a foreign language. A taxi driver fighting with a delivery guy. A German shepherd with a yellow raincoat and little rubber boots, its nose against the side of a phone booth. 

“I see.” 

“Just now?” he has the gall to sigh, disappointed. “I thought you knew when you went to Yoongi looking for a 22. I guess you're not that good at seeing things beforehand anymore, not even when you start them.”

If she had to describe it, she’d say it’s a lot like a game of hide and seek with the kids from her street. Terrifying and exciting at the same time.

“Come to the hotel,” he suddenly says, much to her surprise “Stay here until things settle down.”

And if she had to sum Kim Namjoon up, this would be it. No one but him could give an invitation and a threat at the same time with such ease. Come, or else.

“No. I think I'll stay outside, see what comes out of it.”

Another deep sigh.

“I see. Have it your way, then. You have your fun, make sure to enjoy it.”

She hits the red button and finds that the cute dog with the rubber boots nowhere to be seen, as if it vanished off the street with its human. 

At least 13 different people stop her before reaching Kim Kibum's office. Even though her name wasn't credited, her co-workers know what it means when she disappears for weeks, and the kind of stories she chases. The vultures in her department rolling their eyes at the sight of her kind of give it away.

“I thought I told you to work from home until further notice,” he says as she locks the door behind her.

“What? I deliver the story of probably the year, and you don’t want to see my face anymore?”

"Don’t. I’ve had a long day” he huffs, pulling the blinds down. His office looks less cluttered than she remembers. Has it been that long since she clocked in? “You know there’s a reason why I asked you to lay low for a while.”

She drops her body on one of the chairs in front of his desk and grabs a heavy, fancy pen.

“Did you see? Lee Chungjae is living his best life in France pretending to care about free education. He’s out there taking pics with Rihanna.”

Her boss leans over, snatches the pen from her hands, and points it at her like a sword.

“And? What do you expect? That they lock him up as soon as the story comes out? We do our thing, the rest is up to the world. We’re a newspaper, not the league of justice.”

Earlier today she told Haneul something similar, just to calm him down. Now she knows how he felt.

“It’s been a week already.”

“No, it’s barely been a week” he corrects her, moving a storage box under his desk and stretching his waist like he just can’t wait for retirement. “You know how this is, Jiah.”

Yeah, she knows. Shitty. Working your ass off, dealing with red tape and censorship, putting everything on a plate only for the world to move on, people not give a shit, and those who are supposed to do something turn a blind eye and fill their pockets.

“Why is your stuff inside a box?" Even the fake Basquiat is missing, so she knows it's serious. "Are you quitting?”

“I’m moving to a new office,” he says, pausing before adding "Jongsuk quit today.”

The news hits her like an ice bucket.

“He turned in his resignation letter earlier."

"Fuck." she breathes. "Oh. Fuck."

"Talk about freedom of the press, huh?” he laughs bitterly, tapping his temple, shaking his head, his eyes turning red.

In terms of bad news, this is the kind that makes you very aware of the last meal you had.

The Chronicle’s had the same chief editor for nearly twelve years. It’s one of the country’s most respected newspapers, and Jung Jongsuk was a big part of the reason why. The idea of someone with enough power moving the right strings to get the man, the myth, the fucking legend fired just as means of revenge sets a chill down her spine.

It’s a petty but very clear act of revenge. A shame, considering he was damn good at his job and how much he cared about his staff.

She sucks on her teeth “What’s he gonna do?”

“No idea. He showed up earlier today and left as soon as he gave a speech. They want me to step in immediately. Can you believe it?”

She's out of words. Half wanting to congratulate him despite the sad circumstances of his promotion, half wondering what that means for her. He suddenly squints.

“You look terrible. Finals?”

“Done, I’m a free woman”

She's can't stop thinking about Chief Editor Jongsuk, how he was always like the cool stepdad that didn’t have to be too nice or too mean to get your respect, how he gave her a chance when she was just a freshman.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep or, I don’t know... drinking your face off with your friends?”

Her hand slips inside her backpack. “Well, if you'd answered my calls, I would be doing one of those.”

She puts a small, puny handgun on the desk, and slides it in his direction.

“Are you—” he locks the door before lowering his voice to a hiss “Have you lost your mind? How did you get through security?”

“You said we need to be careful and this is what being careful looks like, take it.” she says, sliding it closer to him. It barely brushes the side of his keyboard.

“Are you crazy? Do not— ” he opens a drawer and pushes it inside like it burns to the touch, slamming it shut and leaning his body away, pressing one hand to his forehead. “Jiah, this is illegal”

“I’m the best investigative journalist you have, flirting with the illegal here and there is one of the many reasons why.” 

“This isn’t flirting with the illegal, for god's sake, this is raw dogging it, Jiah. This is an office. We’re a–”

“Im Haneul is about to get into witness protection, that’s why I’m giving you something to protect yourself with. Thank you, Jiah. You’re welcome, boss.”

He bites his lip, looking at the drawer with resentment before setting his eyes on her, dead serious.

“Is there something you’re not telling me? Did something happen?”

“It’s always better to be prepared. You know what they say about peace and quiet.”

“I don’t,” he deadpans “Is that some kind of gang lingo?”

She frowns. “Just what has Minho been telling you? I should pay him a little visit—”

“You’re not going anywhere near my staff.”

“Your staff? I’m your staff. He’s a sports reporter, you can walk into a bar anywhere in Itaewon and find a dozen replacements.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, not denying it. “Did. Something. Happen.”

“I heard something. From a good source.”

“A good source.”

“Yeah, sometimes those are what we call confidential. So—” he fixes her with a look that makes her fear that his eyeballs will pop out of their sockets. “Fine, it was Kim Namjoon.”

He blinks at her. Throws his hands in the air and plops down on his seat.

“That's hilarious. If this doesn’t work for you, you can always pursue comedy. Now get the hell out of my office, I have to move my stuff to the other side of the floor.”

She stands up stretching her arms, giving him a once over and opening her mouth. He lifts a hand.

“I don't want to hear it. Go take a bath, get drunk, do drugs, get laid. You’re an undergrad student, not Chelsea Manning. Live a little.”

“Actually, I prefer Lisbeth Salander."

"Get out."

081222 - 06:55 pm

Something about the bleach fumes welcoming the moment she enters Lady’s Room is just– homely, and Wendy's threatening glare makes up for the stern mother figure she didn’t have growing up. 

“Don’t even think about it, boots off.”

She toes off her muddy boots, struggling not to spill anything on the heavy takeout bags, making her way to the back.

“How come he gets to keep them on?”

Taemin looks insane with a black cape covering his body and his hair all foiled up, Seulgi's hovering over him with the cutest concentrated frown. He wiggles is feet at her.

“Clean shoes privilege. Plus, I'm way cuter than you.”

She snaps a picture of him for future use while he's distracted explaining how he read somewhere that hair takes bleach better when you're stress-free, and that the end of his last semester is just the perfect moment.

“And of course you believed that, because it makes total sense”

“No, it’s true,” Seulgi says. “It’s also better when you’re in a good mood. That’s why I don’t like to take people fresh out of a bad breakup, the chemicals get all messed up.”

“Oh, he doesn’t need to worry about that,” she says off-handedly.

Taemin doesn’t like her tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wendy answers before she can, flipping through receipts on the reception area. “It means that you need a relationship to go through a breakup. That’s usually how it works”

“I'll have you know that I have secondhand PTSD from you guys. I’m like one ride home with an angry couple away from giving up on monogamy.” 

“So, blue?”

“Silver.” He shows her a picture of a male idol with gray hair, wet styled. He's worried that if he goes too light it'll wash out his complexion.

She inspects his face in the floor to ceiling mirror “Nonsense, you’d look good in anything, buttercup.”

He smiles, always a slut for some validation. "You're coming to Sana’s party, right?”

She groans, plopping down on the chair next to him.

“Jiah, come on, it’s the last party of the semester. The last party before I graduate.”

She’s not swayed by his abuse of the last something before I graduate card. “I’m out of social battery, I'll kill the vibe.”

“We’ll pregame at my place and you’ll be good to go.”

“I can’t be bothered to go home and get changed.”

“Oh! You left the strappy shirt, you know? the one you didn’t know you were wearing backwards, and that leather skirt at my place, I threw them in the washing machine just for an occasion like this.”

“I’m seriously not feeling the vibe today.”

“Who cares, you attract people when you’re sulking.” he shrugs “Plus that’s the skirt you were wearing when you pulled that Romanian guy. We get free bottles every time you have your leg meat out.”

Seulgi slaps the side of his neck with her glove-covered hand. “Don’t pimp her out.”

“And this is why I suggested a ladies-only policy.”

“Interesting that you assume you fall in that category, but go on.” Taemin says, Jiah gasps in fabricated indignation. “And isn’t that reverse sexism?”

“It’s not like men are rushing to get in.”

Irene emerges from the office, walking past them with her all work and no fucking around face on, all her focus taken by her tablet.

“Oh, actually, we had a guy customer a few days ago and he was very happy with our services,” Seulgi says. Taemin and Jiah let out synchronized snorts.

Irene looks at them, going through the pile of papers Wendy handed her. “Grow up, you two."

Seulgi catches on, making a noise of disgust.

“So what did he want? A massage?”

Irene flips a page, scanning its contents. The warning is sharper this time. “Taemin.”

“He wanted a full-on transformation, so we went with silver,” Seulgi says, ignoring the quip, poking at his bleach covered hair with the pointy edge of her brush “It looked pretty good on him. It suited his personality.”

Taemin coos "Is that a crush I smell?"

Seulgi shrugs. "I'm just saying he fit the look, he was easy to talk to. Funny too. Asked a lot of questions about the salon, said a childhood friend of his co-owns one.”

"Huh, sounds boring to me." Taemin shrugs, not impressed. Seulgi and Jiah share a knowing look. He's platonically possessive to a fault, and being the only guy in their group only makes it worse.

Jiah smirks, spinning on the chair. "Sounds like your replacement to me."

He sticks his tongue at her “I was going to introduce you to someone tonight, traitor.”

Irene and Wendy sigh in relief, finally finding whatever it was they were looking for, high five-ing.

“I’m heartbroken.” She yawns. “I wasn’t planning on going anyway”

“You should go.“ Irene says, coming to stand behind her chair, playing with her hair. "You sure need it."

“What is it with people treating me like I’m some boring bitch lately?”

“Have you considered that you’ve been a boring bitch lately? We barely see you, you were supposed to help us look for a new place” Wendy complains, plopping on the other chair next to Taemin’s, spinning. "And you missed the anniversary party"

Nothing for her to do but take the shots. Seulgi steps in for her, an angel.

"Cut her some slack, she brought food. You know that’s sorry in her language."

"Alright, yeah.” Wendy agrees way too easily "And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being boring, Yeri can always use a boring figure in her life"

“I’m not going to a party to be on Yeri Sitting Duty.”

Taemin squints at her, walking to the washing station under Seulgi's orders, cape swooshing dramatically behind him. “But you’re coming, right?”

To be fair, she does feel bad about ghosting them for weeks.

“I swear to god, you better not ditch me for one of your Instagram famous friends."

He doesn't get a chance to reply, his calls for help fill the salon and Seulgi giggles like a sweet summer child discovering the joys of waterboarding. Irene's pleased to the point of pulling her phone out to record the scene, chortling.

081222 - 11:25 pm

One would assume that the only child of the owner of a massive Japanese architecture firm, who also happens to own several clubs in the city, can afford to throw a party with decent alcohol.

Her annoyance should be directed at Taemin for talking her into coming and proceeding to do exactly what she asked him not to.

He’s nowhere to be seen, and Party Yeri is at her peak, hands thrown in the air, dancing between a bunch of freshman girls with their phones out, the red light beams bouncing off her glittery top. 

“Not a dancer, or just not in the mood?” a voice interrupts.

She felt his presence before he approached her table. Some people are just hard to ignore, and with his simple silky shirt with a few buttons undone, pushed-back hair, and a flirty strand hanging on his forehead, he has a crowd of curious women and men alike following him with hungry eyes everywhere he goes.

“The second one.”

He smiles just like someone who's used to seeing others react to his looks.

Her first impression of him was jealousy for having better lips than her. She was too busy listening to Mina talk about her internship in Spain to pay too much attention to Taemin introducing the guy. Sitting at levels of handsomeness that don't require a personality, the man bored her without uttering a word.

But he's not hard to look at.

“So, how come we haven’t met before?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Taemin says your presence is an exclusive experience." she sips her drink, he thinks it's funny. "Jiah, right?”

“And you’re Jongin, one of the dancing friends.” 

A guy approaches Yeri’s group, disgustingly scanning each girl like he’s trying to figure out who has the lowest standards. 

“Not a big fan of us?”

She considers her answer, watching the girls shrug him off before he can get too comfortable.

“I've learned to coexist with you people. It comes with the Taemin package.”

His little laugh is surprisingly childish for his masculine looks. The way he keeps looking at her face like he can't spare any bit of attention to their surroundings makes her feel like a bug under a microscope lens.

“Here's my theory, I think he might’ve been keeping you to himself for a bit there. But I’ve heard so many things about you that I kind of feel like I know you already."

Jiah doesn't know what to say to that, but holds his warm gaze and indulges in the view for a bit. Caramel skin, glowy under the strobe lights, painted red like a forbidden object of desire, or a character of a Japanese movie, waiting for his lover at a love hotel.

Handsome indeed. Nice jaw, soft nose, slightly arched eyebrows. 

“Good things, I hope.”

“Interesting things.” He says with a crooked grin. She cocks an eyebrow, but he beats her to it. “So, journalism. What’s that like?”

She gives him the generic answer she keeps for occasions like this; lots of reading, being on the phone, doing more with less. No one is ever satisfied. Neither the readers nor the editors nor yourself.

Ok. So maybe she assumed a lot of things. He's surprisingly great company, really easy to talk to. He owns a dance studio and teaches from time to time. Some of his students have made it to entertainment companies, and he tries not to seem cocky, but it's clear he's extremely proud of them. He’s very nonchalant about covering various styles, though he’s more interested in R&B these days. 

“Your day-to-day sounds like a lot of sitting behind a desk,” he comments. Being someone that works with his body, the idea must haunt him.

“Oh, god, no– I always feel like I’ll throw myself from the window if I spend too much time at the office. I’m on the investigation team, so I’m almost always out on the streets, harassing bureaucrats and stuff.” 

“That sounds... fun.”

“Riveting,” she promises. “It’s not bad, really. You go through the boring stuff and then when you get a good story, you remember why you do it, and… it’s a good feeling.”

“You know, usually when someone mentions journalism I think of people with thinning hair and marriage issues.” 

“Are you calling me old?”

“No. I was trying to say that you just took down a stereotype for me.” he pauses, pouting and looking up like he’s considering something “But you do give off an old soul vibe, sitting on your own, sulking like you’re here against your own will, ready to decimate anyone who dares come near you.”

She blinks at him, he’s holding back a smile, she can tell. Waiting for her reaction.

“Wow, so you’re just gonna call me a hag like that?”

He looks mildly surprised, worried, and amused all at the same time. “That’s not–”

“And if I look that scary, how come you’re here at my table?”

“Because you’re very attractive. It balances out the scary.”

She hums into her glass.

“And I’m very charming, I knew you’d be harmless.”

“Right.” He’s not entirely wrong. She’s always suspicious of extremely charming people, and the alarms are going off in her head.

“This is me hitting on you, off the record.” he continues, undeterred. She snorts. "And I say that because, as I’m sure you know, Taemin is possessive.”

She lifts and shakes a finger like an aunt at church when the pastor hits a mark. “Like a kid who doesn’t share his toys.”

Which reminds her, where’s that silver-haired menace?

“We’ll just have to ease him into it.”

“Uh-huh. This is flattering and all, I guess, but I’m married so–”

“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t get jealous” he shrugs, very serious about it. Which is unexpected, no one has ever reacted to the I'm married line like that. “I’m not gonna try to compete with your career.”

She's speechless, but in a good way, laughing at the audacity and shaking her head.

But then, just for a moment, he disappears.

There’s a quick, almost untraceable absence, even his smile falters.

Then he snaps back.

“Hey, you wanna get out for a bit? Get some fresh air? Looks like your friend’s gonna be busy for a while.”

Yeri was off her radar for a bit there, and now she’s got her arm threaded with the birthday girl herself. They’re moving away from the crowd, talking into each other's ears like they haven’t debriefed in months, probably headed to the bathroom.

Now that he mentions it, fresh air sounds nice. 

“Promise I’m all out of lines,” he adds.

It’s humid out on the street, but less stuffy and noisy. She pulls out a brand new pack of cigarettes and they get fire from a girl hanging around with her friends next to a motorcycle. Her kohl-stained eyes scan Jongin greedily while he leans over, hands cupping the flame.

She suddenly turns to look at her, right when Jongin leans back and thanks her, and winks.

If Jongin notices, he’s unbothered, much more concerned with moving around her to stand on the side of the street, wordlessly making them switch spots. The gentleman move is soon eclipsed by a sudden coughing fit.

It's so bad she feels kind of horrible about finding it amusing. He really just fucked up his smooth streak after one drag.

She offers to grab him a drink, but he shakes his head, grabbing her arm before she walks away. He swallows hard one, two, or three times, wiping the corners of his eyes.

"You good?"

"No." he rasps. “These are the kind that my grandfather used to smoke.”

“You could’ve said no.” she counters, patting his back. They’re strong, she didn’t warn him because she showed him the package.

“I was a victim of peer pressure.” he jokes after clearing his throat. “I was doing well, wasn’t I?”

“It’s ok. Choking on smoke like a high schooler makes you human.” she offers him as consolation. The coughing fit messed up his hair. he looks younger now, less of a threat. Maybe it’s just the fresh air, the relief of getting out of the crowd, and the nicotine easing her up. 

He asks if she smokes often, sounding like he doesn’t want to intrude, but a part of him will judge her if she says yes. Truthfully, she hasn’t in months, but it always hits a spot after a while, and people assume she’s too into it. 

“Work's stressing you out?”

“That’s what work is supposed to do, isn’t it?” 

He winces.

“Not to a level where you have to smoke like a war general.”

She grins at him sideways, the man who introduced her to this particular brand would have a few things to say about that sentence.

“I can deal with the stress, I only smoke when I get frustrated.”

“And does that happen often?”

“I don’t know? I guess. My boss says I’m too much of a control freak. He's a jerk, but sometimes it feels like he knows me better than I know myself.”

“Not great at teamwork, then?” he probes.

“No, I mean-- I’m not, but it’s not that.” she pauses. He’s waiting for her to elaborate. “I just wish I could do more sometimes, and not just document things from the sidelines. Does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does.” he assures. “I think I know what you mean.”

“I tried it, recently” she goes on, and she doesn’t know why she’s opening up to this guy. She’s not trying to turn him into her therapist, and she’s not even sure she wants to take him home at all. There’s too much going on in her mind at the moment, she wouldn’t be fully present anyway. It'd be a waste.

“And how did that go?”

“It was alright at the beginning. I've been helping someone– a friend who was gonna do something he'd regret. Actually, I'm not sure we're actually friends, but he's a great guy in a shitty situation.” she rambles, taking one last drag. “But then things went south in the worst way possible. It didn't even have anything to do with him, just personal baggage and terrible timing. I guess I had it coming.” 

He nods, deep in thought, letting a comfortable silence fall between them, just watching people walk past, going in and out of the club. She presses the butt against the sole of her boots, and tosses it in the trash.

“If it’s any help, I’m sure your friend is grateful. You did well helping him.” he says, and she remembers Yixing saying something similar. “And whatever happened, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

She shrugs. “It is what it is, right? Onwards and upwards.” 

He grins, pointing a finger at her. "That’s totally something my father would say.”

“So you ran out of lines and now you’re back to calling me old?”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to come off too strong, but if you insist.” He’s back on charming again, hands in the air like she’s just giving him no choice. The switch between kind to charming gives her whiplash.

A waste, really. A month ago she might’ve taken him home, let him make her coffee in the morning.

“I’m not insisting, I just asked you a question.”

He waves her off. “Bet you 5000 won I can kiss you without using my lips.”

It’s stupid. But he looks like the epitome of determination. Kohl girl behind him keeps looking at them over her shoulder, and without the meaningless rumble of the crowd to distract her, his voice turns out to be quite lovely.

So she tilts her chin at him, giving him the green light.

He takes two purposeful steps. She calls his bluff, refusing to back up against the wall. He gets close enough that he has to bend his head down to keep eye contact, and in a surprisingly smooth move, he places a short, harmless peck right on her lips. 

Then he backs up with a single step and pulls out a bill from his pocket.

“A great investment if you ask me.” he says.

She laughs despite herself. Not in the coy, flirted up way, but a full, honest, belly laugh.

The silver-haired menace himself emerges from the shadows with a cowboy hat on his head, thumbs hooked on his jeans. He’s glaring, a scowl on his lipstick-stained lips, focusing on the way Jiah bends over, hand on her tummy and all.

“What are you doing with my best friend? I’m asking both of you, by the way.” he demands.

“Where did you get that?” she asks him, fully recovered, flicking the hat.

Taemin grabs the bill from Jongin’s hand before he can put it away. Jongin raises his eyebrows at him, anticipating complaints for his actions, daring him even.

“Not that I don’t respect the hustle, but I think you’re underselling yourself, sweetie." he says, turning to Jongin like a parental figure setting limits. "A peck from our Jiah is easily worth 10000 won. Pay up.”

“Deal,” Jongin shrugs, reaching for his back pocket again, pulling out several bills, winking at her. "How many can I get for--"

“Alright, we get it, she gets it,” Taemin interrupts, putting an arm around his shoulders, and rubbing his chest distractedly. “I thought you were on Yeri Sitting Duty tonight.”

Jiah licks her thumb and wipes the lipstick marks on his jaw, much to Jongin's endless amusement

“She’s a big girl. You got some on your teeth, you harlot."

"Finally. I keep telling you girls, you baby her too much" he complains, licking his front teeth. "Someday you'll have to set her free, let her make some mistakes of her own. They build character, you know?"

"How wise of you." Jongin says. "Was that the logic behind this new look?"

"Some mistakes don't." Taemin continues, looking at her with crazy eyes, pointing at Jongin. "Some mistakes make your best friend uncomfortable and are off limits."

Jiah and Jongin look at each other. "You introduced us."

"Yes, and? I never said get chummy and explore each other's bodies, did I?"

“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She tells Jongin. She caught a glimpse when he got closer and thought it looked familiar. Then Taemin unknowingly moved the fabric on his chest out of the way and she got confirmation. “It’s the helm of awe, isn't it?”

Jongin mouth falls open, genuine shock taking over his features. Not many people know about runes or recognize them. Taemin tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously, suspiciously.

“How do you know that? I thought it was a snowflake.”

“I knew a girl who had one on the back of her neck. Hers was red though. Looked great when she put her hair up.”

Taemin releases Jongin from his clutches with an unconvinced hmph, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. Jongin quietly fixes his shirt.

"Oh. Oh. I think I saw Minho inside. You wanna piss him off?"

Well, that’s great. That’s just great. Super cool.

Jongin takes a look at her face and blurts out the question. "Who's that?"

"Her ex. She broke his heart, he started rumors that she's with the Yakuza." Jongin blinks in surprise, and Taemin looks like he wants to elaborate further. She stops him.

“What’s that grown man doing here?”

“You know he likes to hang around the youngsters and make people guess his age. So, you in?”

“Leave me out of it.” 

"Hear me out. I was thinking you and Jongin could walk around, right? Let him see you together, put on a little show. You know how his ears get red and his eyes bulge out when he's angry?” he's trying to contain his laugh, looking maniac. “I’ll buy you dinner, both of you. I’m serious.”

That’s her cue for a bathroom break. She puts the cowboy hat on Jongin’s head, not deterred by the way his eyes follow her on her way inside.

A sigh escapes her lips as the cold water runs over her hands. She smiles at a group of girls walking out of the door, their giggles reminding her of the task at hand—finding Yeri and making sure she's not too drunk to make semi-rational decisions.

Maybe she’ll try to talk her into ditching this place. Yixing's uncle's spot is not too far from here.

The possibility of running into her ex kind of makes her want to bolt. Not out of lingering feelings, she just doesn’t have the energy for that interaction. He has a way with sucking the like out of her.

There's only so much she can take of things beyond her control.

The bathroom door clicks. Something shifts in the air. The unsettling feeling of realizing she's not alone. She glances up at the mirror and catches a glimpse of him in the reflection.

Reacting on instinct, her hand snatches the decorative vase from the sink and hurls it at him. The man covers his face, not before grabbing her forearm and slamming her against the sink.

She puts her palms up to avoid hitting the mirror face first. It happens at once, suddenly he's grabbing her bag, and the next second the chain strap is pulling around her neck.

Her body bends back. His knee's pressed against her lower back. Either she’ll pass out or he’ll snap her in half.

She's not about to go down in a public bathroom. She pushes her shaky fingers under the chain, attempting to relieve some of the pressure.

Her vision' blurring, she's running out of oxygen and ideas. Tears well up. The muffled music starts fading.

There's a distant slam, a loud thump.

And thank fuck, release.

She catches her weight on the sink, gasps for air, almost crashes against the mirror again. She turns on wobbly legs and faces two bodies intertwined and struggling on the floor.

Her attacker’s dressed in all black, mask included, buzzcut, well built. The second man has his thighs wrapped around his head, snarling as he keeps him overpowered. A blue-grey silk shirt clings to his broad shoulders, thin black lines mark the skin on his chest.

The helm of awe.

He knocks the guy out with his thighs which... ok, impressive. With heaving breaths, his eyes land on her.

She runs. He grabs her arm before she can get through the door, and bends over when her knee finds his crotch.

Slamming the door behind her, she slaps her hands against the wall for support, still a bit dizzy, heart racing.

"Wait! Rina– please wait–"

Everything shuts down—her legs, the party, the whole city stops. She drops the plans of putting as much distance as possible between them, turns around and stomps in his direction.

Four letters, one word, a slap to the face.

“What did you just call me?” she demands, her face inches away from his. She doesn't recognize her own voice. He's pawing at his neck, pulling a chain for her to see, like that's gonna do something. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I know them. I know Yixing. You’re in danger, I’m here to help you." he sounds pained, trying to calm her down. She has no sympathy for him.

Hanging from the chain, a silver band morphs into two bony hands that hold a mint-colored ball. A ring, worn as a necklace. She recognizes it at once. She won that ring at some fair in Busan. Someone at school started a rumor that she joined the occult. Kyungsoo's mother thought she was a bad influence.

“We have to get you out of here. He has back up, they'll come soon."

Jiah exhales, relaxes her limbs. He mirrors the gesture, letting out a breath of relief.

Then she runs like her life depends on it. And it just might. She bumps into people, pushes them aside, desperately looking for an emergency exit she vaguely remembers from past situations that shouldn't be crossing her mind right now.

They come in handy, successfully leading her to the deserted alley.

But god, whatever version of it is out there, is just not letting her get away so easily. 

The years have granted him an extra couple of inches, not that he ever needed them. Maybe it's just the thick soles of his boots that scrape against the loose gravel. He stops, mirroring her shock for a fleeting second.

She grabs the closest thing available; a rusty, long, and thin metal thing that's heavy enough to give her some confidence. He’s staring at her, no traces left of the awe she saw before.

He's pointing a gun at her face.

"Drop it" he barks "Hands up, turn around and try not to be so damn difficult. In that order."

Frustrated, she snarls at herself, her jaw tightening until it hurts before throwing the stick to the ground. She turns around, facing the mold-infested wall. The last thing she sees is a torn-off poster of an underground rap collective.

His forearm presses to the back of her neck with no mercy. He searches for a weapon she's not carrying.

"That's for being so fucking stupid. Do you realize what you got yourself into?" he snaps, not giving her a chance to answer before he pulls her back by the back of her shirt and pushes her against the wall again.

"Ow– What the fuck, dude?" the rough, disgusting surface of the wall scratches the side of her face. She kicks her feet against the ground. "I wasn’t even– what the fuck was that for?"

"That's for making my mom worry about you, idiot."   

He finally lets her go, and she moves away from him, curses spilling from her mouth.

The exit door opens revealing Jongin—the impostor.

"What are you doing? We need to--"

They guards go up abruptly before her eyes. He raises his gun at her once again, this time with clear intent.

It'd be ugly, she imagines, being shot this up close. Her brains will end up on the floor, his clothes, maybe even his face. The Park Chanyeol she knew was an asshole most of the time, but he didn't have it in him to step on an ant or kill a spider even if his mother ordered him to, let alone shoot someone.

The inevitable fact is that they are strangers. She doesn't know who the time has turned him into, just like she’s no longer someone that he knows.

"Go ahead, big guy," she lifts her chin, rolls her shoulders. He’s looking at her like she's made of cellophane.

Someone takes the ground from under her. The ground is inevitable. Someone grabs her. Her shoulder feels wet, and her hands look for the source. When she looks down it, it’s stained red.

Did he just–

It can’t be. It doesn't hurt. It should hurt.

It all happens too quickly. There's a hissing sound. The impostor grips her tightly and says something.

Was her heartbeat always this loud? And did she really just get shot?

"Eyes open," The impostor orders. There's no escape with the world narrowed down to two walls. They’re closing in.

He keeps talking, telling her that it’s alright. Her heartbeat is drumming inside her head. It’s now supposed to do that, she shouldn’t feel this cold in August. A chill settles in her bones like she’s been running barefoot through deep snow in the woods, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown.

Okay. Maybe she did get shot. And now they’re taking her away. But she can’t go down like this. Irene... the girls will wonder where she is, Yeri’s gonna burn the place down looking for her, Taemin’s too sensitive to deal with something like this, and Chanyeol–

He shot her.

And they keep calling her the wrong name.

"Rina, you have to...” 

thump 

“...be there...” 

thump 

“...right? C’mon...”

thump.

"Rina."

And then they kill the lights.

[iridescentxstars]

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐊𝐞𝐲: [M] — Mature content/warnings | 🌹 — NSFW | ✨ — Rewritten | 🌸 — Recommended

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲. 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞.

This masterlist contains all my drabbles. There may be some archived drabbles for various reasons and they can be found here. All drabbles are placed under their main AU [eg. mafia, werewolf, etc.] and sorted in chronological order.

ೃ⁀➷ Kim Jongin | BangChan | On-Going Series | Completed Series | Drabbles | Misc | Archived Drabbles

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜/𝐍𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫/𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

[ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞/𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥/𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥

[ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Mark: 🐆

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫

[ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Minseok: 🐱 [ ✧.* ] Taemin: 🌱

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧/𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥/𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞/𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟

[ ✧.* ] Baekhyun: 🐶 - 🐶 [ ✧.* ]Bangchan: 🐺 [ ✧.* ] Chanyeol: 🐯 [ ✧.* ] Hakyeon: 🐳 [ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧 [ ✧.* ] Leo: 🪶 [ ✧.* ] Mark: 🐅 [ ✧.* ] Minseok: 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 - 🐱 [ ✧.* ] Sunmi: 🧜🏼‍♀️ - 🧜🏼‍♀️

[ ✧.* ] Taemin: 🌱 - 🌱 [ ✧.* ] Yixing: 🐑

ੈ✩‧₊ 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞/𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

[ ✧.* ] Jongin: 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 - 🐻 [ ✧.* ] Kyungsoo: 🐧 [ ✧.* ] Leo: 🪶 [ ✧.* ] Sehun: 🐩

[Drabbles Part One][Drabbles Part Two][Drabbles Part Three][Drabbles Part Four][Drabbles Part Five][Drabbles Part Seven] (84)

[straylightdream]

Cold, wicked and ruthless we’re all words that people used to describe Junmyeon, but when it came to her he made an oath to protect her. Sehun was assigned to watch over her, he never expected for her to break down his walls.

♡ status: discontinued being changed into a skz story. 

♡ genre: mafia/ bodyguard au, romance, smut

♡ pairing: Kim Junmyeon (mob boss) x reader & Oh Sehun (bodyguard) x reader

♡ warnings: sexual situations, angst, mentions of violence, injuries, death, blood, ptsd

1 2 3

↳ moodboard and playlist

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* the taglist is open send a message or send an ask if you would like to be tagged*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

[taestfully]

What’s Mine is Mine

✱ Pairing: Jongin x reader (fem!reader)

✱ Genre: mafia!au, fluff, some angst (not too much really)

✱ Warnings: violence, gun use, slightly suggestive in some parts, a few curse words here and there

✱ Request: @yugyeomisout said: Hii! Can you do an mafia!au where kai gets injured because he fought over you. And you (reader) takes care of him and she kisses him.

✱ Words: 2.2k

✱ Summary: As Jongin’s wife, you are to attend a meeting between his family and the other big mafia family. However, the already rocky relationship between the two families falters when Jongin has to defend you from unwanted advances, resulting in him becoming injured.

“Must you wear that dress?” Jongin stood near the doorway, shoulder propped against the wall and his arms crossed. You weren’t looking at your husband, instead you were examining yourself in the mirror, yet you could feel his eyes as they burned into you. You already knew the look he had on his face; it was a look of both arousal and slight possessiveness as the thought of other men seeing you looking so good in that dress.

You shrugged as your hands pulled at the fabric absentmindedly. “What would you prefer me to wear?” You pulled your eyes off your reflection to turn around and look at him, a hand on your hip. “A potatoe sack? Or maybe I could just go nude. That’ll really turn some heads.”

A flash of a smile flickered on Jongin’s lips. He stood straight from his leaning position and sauntered over to you. His hands found purchase on your hips to pull you close. “Very funny,” he said, a smirk pulling at his lips.

You giggled as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You stood on your toes to push yourself up and press your lips to his. It was a short kiss, just a quick brush. But Jongin lowered his head to reconnect his lips with yours, deepening the kiss.

His hands roamed up and down your sides, enjoying how soft you felt in his grasp as well as the smooth material of your dress. One hand found your rear and gave it an appreciative squeeze, making you sigh in pleasure. Jongin smiled against your mouth.

“We could just stay,” you whispered, lips still grazing against his. You looked up at him and saw the temptation of your words flicker in his eyes. “I’d much rather stay home with you and do much more entertaining things than to go sit at this pointless dinner.”

Jongin shook his head, though you knew just how much he wanted the same as you. He hated these dinners, especially the ones like the one planned for tonight, where he would be dining with another mafia family. And he loathed having to take you, since dinners with other mafias could go so horribly wrong in just a blink of an eye. He didn’t like putting you in any potential danger. “As tempting as that is, we’ve got to go, unfortunately. It’s important we make a good impression. Making a new ally could be beneficial to us.”

You roll your eyes. “New ally? I thought this family was somewhat of a rival to us?”

Jongin hummed, stepping away from you and straightening his suit jacket. “Friends close, enemies closer, I guess.” His phone rang and he retrieved it from his pocket, answering immediately. It was a quick call, and from the way your husband spoke, you guessed it was time to go. He smiled at you after hanging up. “Ready?”

You shrugged. “Does it matter?”

You felt stifled. The atmosphere was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife. No one talked outside of occasional small talk or mafia related matters. And the way they watched you like a hawk while you ate made your heart rate thud erratically. According to the way Jongin had talked about them prior to the dinner, you didn’t put it passed them to compromise the food. You were weary at first, but your husband had assured you it was fine.

Jongin was tense next to you. One quick look at him revealed his apprehension of the situation, his jaw bone locked tight. You reached a hand out to him and rested it on his thigh. He shot you a small smile, though it was only half-hearted. You would’ve said something to him, but a man from the other side of the table interrupted.

“Jongin,” the man said, voice a deep, raspy baritone that made your skin crawl at the sound of it. You couldn’t remember the man’s name, but from what your husband had told you, this man was a higher up in his family. “You didn’t tell me that your wife was so beautiful.” The seedy smile on his face made you shift uncomfortably in your seat.

Jongin’s hand gripped yours under the table protectively. He faked a smile. “Ah, the fact must’ve slipped my mind.”

The man chuckled from across the table, leaning back lazily as his eyes stayed focused on you. You could tell that he was picturing an awful image in his head of you just from the way his gaze travelled over your form. He was not even trying to be discreet. He let out a laugh. “Oh, don’t lie to me. I know you kept her a secret on purpose. You want her all to yourself, which I can understand. A pretty thing like that must get all sorts of attention. You can’t be too careful.”

You could’ve laughed at the double standard in his words. But you instead leaned closer to your husband to try and hide yourself as much as possible.

Jongin was at your side throughout the night’s event. After dinner, everyone mingled, danced, and drank. The atmosphere was slightly more lighthearted than before, but that was only because of the alcohol making everyone lose bits of their inhibitions. Jongin had a glass in his hand for show, but refused to let his guard down. A protective arm was around your waist.

“How much longer?” You asked quietly, eyes looking around.

“Just a bit longer, baby,” Jongin stroked your hip with the hand that was holding you. “Trust me, the second I can get you out of here and away from all these pigs, I will.”

By pigs he meant all the men from the other mafia family who weren’t shy about showing their attraction towards you, their gazes burning holes into your skin at every moment. Jongin was growing more and more angry by the second. “Hopefully that moment comes soon.”

Things took a turn for the worse when Jongin was pulled away from you to address some important matters. You were left alone in the sea of people, feeling vulnerable without your husband’s protecting presence. You stayed rooted to your spot near the table with all the refreshments after you deemed that place was the safest. You could see a lot of the room from there, your eyes on the lookout for anyone who seemed like they wanted to cause trouble.

You smiled politely as people passed you by. You felt brief relief any time someone from your own group walked by. They acknowledged you with respect. Being Jongin’s wife, you were held with esteem. Jongin was high up his family’s mafia operations and was soon to take it over. Being married to him meant that you were to be respected and well taken care of as well as protected.

You were fine standing there on your own until you felt a presence behind you and a hand on your hip. You knew instantly it wasn’t Jongin, the smell of alcohol wafting to your nose and making you freeze.

“Seems Jongin has let his guard down. Can’t believe he’d let his pretty wife stand all by her lonesome like this,” the man said and your heart stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. It was that man from earlier, the one who spent the duration of the dinner undressing you with his eyes.

You gulped, starting to step out of his hold but to no avail as his grip tightened. “M-my husband will be back soon,” you spoke, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably. You knew Jongin would come back, but exactly when he’d return was unknown. He had already been gone far longer than expected.

The man cackled as his hand started to roam. You squirmed and tried to push at his hand, but he didn’t let up. “He’ll learn not to leave his toys unattended. You know what they say, finders keepers.” His mouth was at your ear and you tried desperately to get away, but the man even in his drunken stupor was stronger than you.

Everything in the next moment happened so fast you almost didn’t register that the man was quite literally jerked away from you and thrown to the floor, the yells of everyone around you echoing. You swiveled around in shock only to see your aggressor on the floor, your husband standing over him with his gun poised and ready. You felt relief wash over your being at the sight of Jongin.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” Jongin growled through his teeth as his foot came in contact with the man’s side, his whole countenance seething anger. “Thinking you can put your nasty hands on my wife. You’ll pay for that.”

Jongin was set to pull the trigger, but the sound of another gun firing caused chaos to break loose. It was madness as you and many other people ducked down as men started firing their guns towards each. You didn’t know what was happening, and for a moment you just stayed still on the floor. You didn’t move until you saw one of your people running to you and ushering you to follow him, which you did without hesitation.

It was a mad dash to the car, the driver taking off instantly the moment you were inside. It only took you a few seconds to register the absence of your husband. “Jongin! Where’s Jongin?!”

The man who helped you escape, Sehun was his name, shook his head. “He’s still back at the enemy’s estate.”

“What? Why would you leave him?” You didn’t mean to sound so accusing, but the rush of worry in your bloodstream was overwhelming.

Sehun sighed, obviously worried as well, though he was trying to hide it through the mask of indifference. “My priority is making sure you got out safe, (Y/n). Jongin will be tailing behind us as soon as possible.”

His words did little to calm your nerves. You sat quietly in your seat the rest of the car ride.

It was a long night spent waiting for Jongin to make it back home. You were ordered to wait in your bedroom, but that was a task that was growing more and more difficult to do. You paced your bedroom floor many times over until there was a knock at your door. You ran to open it.

Sehun appeared at the other side, brows furrowed in a hard line. “Jongin is back,” is all he said to you and from the look on his face, there was something terribly wrong.

You waisted no time in letting him lead you to your husband. Sehun took you to the medical wing of your estate and worry spiked at an all time high. You walked through the double doors and were met with the sight of Jongin sitting up in the bed as nurses tended to the large, gaping wound that adorned his left shoulder. There was blood all over him, and he looked to be in severe pain, but that didn’t stop him from offering you a smile. “Baby.”

At his voice, you rushed to him, practically pushing the nurses to the side despite their protests as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He grimaced when your body collided with his and you pulled back instantly. “Jongin, I’m so sorry.”

Jongin shook his head and smiled, looking up at you with dazed eyes. His arm that wasn’t attacthed to an injured shoulder reached for your hand. “Don’t worry about this, baby.”

You laughed humorlessly. “Don’t worry about it? Jongin you’re hurt! You were shot.”

“And I’d be shot a million over just to keep you safe,” Jongin said resolutely, his eyes serious as they looked into yours. He sighed and leant forward, head resting in your chest. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone for so long. Stupid people and stupid mafia deals—”

You shushed him as your hands raised to run your fingers through his hair. He was hurt, but you were glad that he was safe with you. You weren’t even remotely worried over yourself. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that in the end, you came back for me. And what matters now is that you’re safe.”

“Worrying over me being safe? I thought I was the one who was supposed to worry about you,” Jongin chuckled as he lifted his head to look up at you. “Anyway, I’d ruin a thousand alliance deals just to keep you away from nasty assholes.”

“Ah, so I guess the deal is off, then.”

Jongin smirked. “Yeah, it is. And I think that’s good for us in the long run, to be honest. Now, can you me kiss me? I need a kiss to feel better.”

You hummed in agreement as you leant down to press a soft kiss to his lips. Your husband smiled and kissed you back, loving the way the taste of you always made everything better.

Jongin would be shot many times more, and would even die, just to keep you safe. You were his and his alone. No one could ever take you away.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

[koko-bopp]

Blood & Affection

zhang yixing x gender neutral!reader

word count – 1.4K

genre – mafia!au, psychological? fluff? Bro y'all have full permission to question my sanity, I don't even know.

warning(s) – gore, torture, sadism (none inflicted on the reader), mentions of sex.

synopsis – Practically married to a leader of a mafia, mind you, he loves you quite a lot despite his occupation.

"I think–" Yixing began, though swallowed the heavy sigh, just because he was that little bit out of breathe from his... sport. "–I think you learned enough, no?"

He didn't get a response. He'd be surprised if he had. The man sitting in the chair had his arms and legs bound to the chair tight enough that Yixing could witness the rope slowly ripping off the flesh it was tied upon. It looked bad, it would look bad even if you disregarded the fact that the man had approximately six kitchen knives and a mechanical pen penetrated through the skin of his hands just below his knuckles.

Yixing almost admired him. Almost. It took three knives to get him to talk, that's three more than any person Yixing has needed to deal with. But adding another three and a pen was only neccasery to satisfy the gangster's amusement.

Sadistic? Yes, without a doubt.

Fun? Yes, without a second thought.

Unethical definition of fun? Eh. Debatable.

There were waterfalls of red emitting from the top of the victim's hands and making its way to pool onto the concrete floor. The blood glistening under the lightbulb hanging on top of them, honestly making a nice painting out of the colour on uneven colours of grey.

It'll be a bitch to remove the stains, Yixing almost felt bad for the cleaners that operate on the lower floors.

But he needed answers to the whereabouts of his missing weapons, he didn't sacrifice massive amounts of money just for his deliveries to go missing. So in Yixing's mind, six knives and a pen is pretty vanilla to stick into someone's body. He had better things to care about then the comfort of someone who is delaying his plans much longer than he is willing to appropriate.

"Now," Yixing said, taking off his blood-stained black gloves, "I have the love of my life to get back to. Just scream out when they really start hurting and Kyungsoo will be happy to pull them out." He gently tapped the side of the other's face twice, at first for good measure, then kind of cringing at how much the man was sweating. Guess he couldn't blame him.

"Sleep well." Yixing smiled, and if you looked from a distance, it seemed rather sympathetic, but if you looked hard enough, Yixing honestly gave donkey shit about how the other was feeling.

He exited the space, closing the steel door behind him. His clean hands went up to the blazer of his suit, fixing the article of clothing that droplets of blood scattered across it. He seemed to have stepped into the liquid, because there seemed to be a trail of red footprints following his steps. Again, it was the least of his problems.

"Bǎobèi?" A bright smile made its way onto his face. He opened the double doors of his luxury living room, happy to be seeing you peacefully reviewing your client-notes as well being surrounded by a couple of papers and books. Though, seeing you under him wouldn't be too terrible either. He stood at the door like a happy puppy with his hands holding both door's handles, not fully being in the room. "Was I too long, honey?"

"Enough for me to dread my job as a health professional," You joked, looking up at him from your notes with a grin. "Do I get a 'thank you' for finding the driver of your missing toys?"

Yixing chuckled, entering the room and closing the door behind him. He made his way towards you in a completely relaxed demeanor, some would even say affectionate. Your fianceé placed one hand on the arm of the couch where your elbow was rested, and another on the neck of the furniture, trapping you with his body a generous length away from you. "Definitely more than a 'thank you', Honey."

You smiled, reaching up to gently touch Yixing's cheek and shift that little bit to place your lips on his.

It was soft, that little bit of metallic taste coming from, well, his job, but fait enough for the both of you to enjoy the sensation of Yixing dropping his hand down to cup the space just under your jaw, bringing himself forward to get more of what he wants.

"Yixing–" You managed to breathe out, pulling away from your fianceé quick enough before he continued to escalate the moment, "I still have work to do."

"And? Is it urgent?" Yixing asked, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

"Somewhat," You responded, caressing Yixing's cheek, "I've got one of your boys here who failed their drug test, so I need to follow up with them."

"Shit. Which one?"

"You know, legally, I can't tell you. It's an invasion of their privacy," You chuckled.

"But..." Yixing pouted, "You're my partner, my baby, you can trust me. And mind you, I'm the human embodiment of 'fuck the law'."

You couldn't help but laugh and roll your eyes, "Technically, we're not married yet–"

He didn't let you finish your sentence, just quickly joining your lips with his before locking eyes with you to talk, "Yet. We're not married, yet," Yixing corrected, before sighing, "But regardless. I'll stop prying. Though, please be in bed before midnight, and eat something if you have to."

You smiled, "I'll be upstairs in an hour."

"I'll be waiting," Yixing respond, quite lovingly.